The Bean Brigade: An American Dragon in New York
by Owennumber1fan
Summary: The Bean Brigade heads to the Big Apple to steal a powerful amulet. While there, Hannibal decides to eliminate the city's magical protector, the grandson of an old foe... Ending has been changed
1. The Oracles didn't predict this!

The Bean Brigade #4

"An American Dragon in New York"

_Secret mountain HQ, 9:20 a.m. _

The members of the Bean Brigade were readying themselves for a trip to New York. All of them knew that it wasn't for a vacation; their boss no doubt had some sinister scheme up his…well, you know. Still, a free trip to the Big Apple wasn't a bad deal. They could commit some wholesale destruction, do the mission, and maybe have time to sightsee. One person who was looking forward to the trip was Weather Vane. When she was a young girl, her parents had told her stories of how New York used to be. She was hoping to see the greatest city in the world, so she could rain her powers down upon it. She was unfamiliar with this old-fashioned world; luckily, she had Ember to show her what's what.

"I appreciate you talking your boss into letting me stay here," WV said.

"It wasn't that hard" Ember replied, "when he found out you could control the weather, he was hooked. Besides, you and I are pals."

"You don't have many friends do you?" WV asked.

Ember hung her head, "being a ghost and plotting to rule the world doesn't make me all that popular" she said, "but there are a couple of ghost guys I run with. Plus there's Kitty; she and her boyfriend sometimes come to my concerts. They hate old people as much as I do. Maybe I'll introduce you sometime."

"I'd like that" Weather Vane replied, "but first, let's get to New York. I'm looking forward to causing some trouble."

"Me too" Ember said, "wait till they get a load of me!" The two girls giggled evilly before leaving the room.

_New York City, 1:45 p.m. _

After a long flight, the Bean Brigade finally arrived in the Big Apple. Hannibal had taken the precaution to set them up in an old depot near an abandoned subway station.

"Nice digs bro" Ed said, "but they're, like, all slimy and junk, seriously."

"Well I'm sorry I couldn't set us up at the Waldorf Astoria, but this place is secure enough that my plans can proceed uninterrupted" Hannibal replied. "Speaking of which, Control Freak my boy, I have a job for ya."

"Name it" CF replied.

"Get some of the Brigade together" Hannibal instructed, "I need ya to pick up somebody for me. But first, I need ta figure out where they're hiding."

_Magus Bazaar, 2:01 p.m. _

If anyone in New York had bothered to take the subway to the end of the line, they would discover that it would lead them here. This was a place where all the magical creatures in New York could interact, with no disturbance from the humans. Many of them lived in this area, free of the threat of human discovery. Two of these individuals are the Oracle Twins, young seers of the future.

The chipper and upbeat Sara can predict negative events in the future, while her moody and pessimistic sister Kara can predict positive ones. And soon, these two oracles were going to get a prediction that would change not only their lives, but the lives of their friends as well.

"I just got a prediction that we're about to be kidnapped" Sara said, in her bubbly voice "too bad for us."

"Great, this would have to happen to us" Kara replied, "come on, we'd better call Jake and his grandfather."

Sara opened the door and found herself grabbed by a pair of muscular arms. Kara barely had time to react before she too was grabbed.

"Well, well, looks you like you girls aren't as tough as I thought." The girls craned their heads to see the source of the voice; it was a round headed, fat kid who looked like he'd just walked out of a sci-fi movie.

"Who are you? How did you find us?" Kara asked, struggling against the grip of her captor.

"You're the oracles, you tell me" Control Freak replied, "Okay guys, drug 'em."

Kara barely had time to process what that meant before a sweet smelling cloth was placed over her face. She tried to fight it, but the chloroform achieved its' effect; before she closed her eyes, she saw Sara suffer a similar fate. And she wondered if someone would notice they were gone; then there was only darkness.

As she came to, Kara had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. Once her senses were regained, she took stock of her situation. She was tied tightly to a chair, with her hands bound separately behind her back. Her booted ankles had been tied together and a thick white cloth was tied around her mouth as a gag. She turned to her left and found Sara in the same predicament. Kara took a look around the room; it was dark and dirty, possibly an old subway tunnel or a secret catacomb beneath the streets.

_Whoever kidnapped us knew exactly what they were doing _she thought _I don't predict us getting out of this one._

Kara then began to struggle with her bonds, but they held fast. Suddenly, she heard a number of loud, muffled noises and turned to see that Sara was now awake and struggling for all she was worth. Kara wished she could talk to her sister and tell her it was okay, but she knew Sara could put a positive face on anything. Suddenly, Kara heard footsteps approaching; both Oracles mmmmphed for all they were worth, hoping to attract the attention of the mystery person. Then they saw him; a huge armored figure, and realized he was no savior.

_That armor…it can't be…! _Kara thought.

She certainly hoped she was wrong about the identity of their mysterious abductor, or they were in big trouble. The armored man reached down a hand and pulled Kara's gag down around her neck.

"I wouldn't recommend screaming" the man said, his voice possessing a Southern twinge "nobody will hear ya down here anyway."

"Hannibal Roy Bean, I presume?" Kara asked, testing her hunch.

"Well, I'm glad my reputation precedes me" Hannibal replied.

"Don't flatter yourself" Kara said angrily "when Sara and I were young, our grandmother told us all about the atrocities you committed. I can't believe we didn't get a vision of your return."

"Well, I have been working outside of the city" Hannibal replied, "but I'm sure ya no doubt know why I'm here."

"You want to steal the Amulet of Amon" Kara replied, "it's on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. And let me guess, you kidnapped us to predict if you'd get it?"

"I care nothing for yer little foolish predictions" Hannibal replied "I already know that I'm gonna be victorious. No, they reason I abducted ya is ta keep ya from spreading the news about my return."

"I see" Kara said, "so you don't want us to warn the American Dragon of your arrival?"

"Such a clever girl" Hannibal said, "and speaking of our old friend the American Dragon, he ain't gonna be able to save ya. No one knows yer down here, 'cept for me and my posse. Now how about being a good girl and telling me the true identity of our little dragon friend?"

"Forget it" Kara replied, "nothing you can do will make me talk!"

"That may be true for ya" Hannibal said, "but is the same the case for yer sister? I'd hate ta see something 'unfortunate' happen to her" he said, cupping Sara's chin in the cold hand of his armor.

"Leave Sara alone!" Kara said, "she's done nothing to you!"

"Then tell me the identity of the American Dragon!" Hannibal ordered.

Kara didn't want to betray Jake, but she had to protect Sara. Just then, she had an idea. "You win," she said, hanging her head in defeat, "I'll tell you."

"That's a good girl" Hannibal said, an evil grin stretched across his tiny face.

Uh-oh, looks like the Oracle twins are in quite a pickle. Will Kara betray Jake's identity to the fiendish fava? And what is so special about the Amulet of Amon? Answers to these questions will be revealed in the next chapters of this story.


	2. The Amulet of Amon

Completely unaware of the danger that awaited him, young Jake Long headed to the electronics store run by his grandfather, Lao Shi. Lao and his pet Fu Dog were both there, the latter watching TV, as he was known to do.

"Aw jeez, these goblins couldn't catch a cold, much less a ball" Fu complained "come on ya bums, score one for Fu!"

"Hey there gramps, what's shaking?" Jake asked, ignoring Fu's comments towards the television.

"I am glad you are here young one" Lao replied "there is a problem that requires your attention."

"What's up this time?" Jake asked, "you need me to put the hurting on an ogre?"

"Actually this problem may be a tad easier" Lao replied. Digging around in the space under his desk, he produced an ancient book. He flipped through it and stopped at a page displaying an ancient necklace.

"This is the Amulet of Amon" he explained, "years ago, it belonged to a powerful sorcerer, who used it to cause chaos and destruction until one of the elder dragons defeated him. The amulet disappeared, until recently, when it was excavated by an archeological team."

"If somebody finds the amulet, they would gain incredible powers" Fu added, walking over to the desk "and believe me kid, that ain't good for anybody."

"I have heard that the amulet is on display at one of the local museums" Lao continued "no doubt the forces of evil will try to steal it for their own."

"What you worried for gramps?" Jake asked, "if this amulet's in a museum, then the security system will totally keep it safe."

"Guess again kid" Fu replied, "no security system is gonna stop a magical creature if he wants to get in."

"Fu dog is right" Lao said, "we must get to the amulet first before someone else does."

"Yo, you don't mean we have to…" Jake began.

"I do not like the idea of breaking into the museum" Lao replied, "but we have no choice. The amulet cannot fall into the hands of evil. It must be kept here in the shop until we can hand it over to the proper authorities."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Jake asked.

"I haven't actually thought of it yet" Lao said, "but I'm sure we can get the amulet and get out without causing any suspicion."

Meanwhile, in the abandoned subway tunnel, Hannibal was having a similar conversation with his gang.

"We scouted the tunnels, just like you asked boss" Control Freak said, "and we found a sewer line that leads straight under the museum."

"Excellent" Hannibal said, "we move tonight, when the coast is clear."

"Um, I hate to question you boss" Slipstream said, "but most of us have awesome powers. Why don't we just break in and take the amulet?"

"Because, I don't wish to alert the American Dragon of my presence here" Hannibal explained "at least, not until the Amulet of Amon is safely in my clutches. Then I look forward to meeting the city's protector…and destroying him!"

Uh-oh, looks like Jake is in for some big time trouble. Can he stop the villains from making off with the Amulet? You'll have to tune into the next chapter to find out.


	3. Museum throwdown

Within minutes, a handful of BB members had snuck through an old tunnel and arrived under the Museum of Fine Arts.

"This job is way too easy" Control Freak said, "we didn't have to disable any alarms or take out any guards."

"Yeah, we just sneak in, grab the amulet, and sneak out" Slipstream replied "no hassle."

"And best of all, no American Dragon to ruin things" the Ottoman replied "quickly, one of you use the glass cutter and open the display case. We'll keep watch."

_Museum of Fine Arts, 10:15 p.m._

Unknown to the baddies, at that moment, Jake Long and his entourage were heading inside the museum.

"So Jakey, explain to us again what's so bad about this freaky amulet thing" asked Trixie, Jake's African-American friend.

"I told you, the amulet possesses some real bad vibes, and if any evil dudes get their hands on it, they could cause some serious problems."

"You mean like, turning us all into brussle sprouts?" Spud asked, "cause I hate brussle sprouts. They're all green and short…"

"Will you shut up about yer stupid brussle sprout problem!" Trixie shouted, "okay Jakey, just tell us what we gotta do."

"Nothing, all you guys need to do is stay out here and keep watch" Jake explained "me and Fu will sneak in, replace the amulet with the fake one he made, and be back out in no time."

"Aww, but we wanted to help you beat up the bad guys" Spud complained "I've even been studying the ancient art of ninjitsu for just this occasion."

"Just wait out here" Jake said, "and try not to do anything that will attention to you."

"What's he mean by that?" Spud asked, "is he saying we're stupid?"

"Something tells me Jakey wasn't talking 'bout both of us" Trixie replied.

"Ooh, you should feel angry that Jake insulted you like that" Spud added.

Meanwhile, inside the museum Jake and Fu were making their way down the long corridors. "Man, I always hate these places" Jake said, "they're always full of old artwork or dumb antique stuff. Why can't they have a museum about important stuff, like hip hop?"

"Good question kid, maybe you can bring it up to the city council when we get out of here" Fu replied, "right now, can we do this, huh?"

"Relax Fu, it's late at night, nobody's here" Jake replied. Just then, he heard muffled voices. "Okay, I guess I'm wrong, quick, get down!"

He and Fu ducked behind a nearby display case, then peeked out towards the sound of the disturbance. He saw a gang of oddly costumed characters breaking into the Amulet of Amon display.

"Yo, those guys are trying to steal the amulet!" Jake said, "there ain't no way I'm gonna let that happen!"

"Now hold on there a sec Jake" Fu said, "you don't know who these guys are or what they can do. And you're not gonna be any use to anybody if you're turned into stone or something."

"Relax Fu, I'll mop the floors with these weirdoes" Jake replied, "dragon up!"

With those words, Jake transformed into a red dragon, with black hair and green scales. Without missing a beat, Jake flew over to the Bean Brigade and stood near them.

"Excuse me, but I don't think that belongs to you" he said.

"Who's this clown?" Slipstream asked.

"Who cares?" Control Freak replied, "just blow him away!"

"My pleasure" the portly villain replied, sending a powerful tornado Jake's way.

"Aww man!" was all Jake could muster before he was blown back several feet, crashing into a bust.

"Okay, that's it. Now the Am Drag's gonna get mean" Jake said, flying towards the villains at top speed. Slipstream barely had time to react before Jake crashed into him, sending him to another corner of the museum.

"Ain't so cocky now, are ya?" Jake asked.

"If I were you, I wouldn't celebrate so quickly," Control Freak said, using his remote to animate several suits of armor. "If memory serves, knights are the sworn enemies of dragons" he said, "so I imagine these guys will know how to take care of you!"

"Think again ugly" Jake said, knocking over one of the knights with his tail. Jake dodged a blow from a mace and whapped his tail into another knight. Two more charged at him, but Jake flew up at the last moment and they destroyed each other.

"What are you idiots doing?" Control Freak shouted "get the dragon!"

"Forget him" Ottoman replied, "we've got the amulet, let's get out of here."

"Aw jeez, they're getting away," Fu said, still watching from the safety of the display. "I hate ta do this, but I can't let the amulet fall into the wrong hands."

And running as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, Fu sunk his teeth into Ottoman's tights and pulled as hard as he could.

"What the…?" the Ottoman looked down to see an ugly looking pug tugging on her leg. "Get off of me, you miserable cur!" she shouted, trying to shake him off.

"I got him Ottoman" Herring said, grabbing Fu and pulling as hard as he could. Fu held on as tight as he could and waited for his opportunity. When he was certain he distracted Ottoman, Fu slipped the fake amulet from the folds of his fur and took the real one, replacing it in her hand. Then he loosened his jaws, just as Herring pulled backward, sending him through the air.

Meanwhile, Jake was battling with Control Freak, having used his fire breath to melt a statue that the nerdy ne'er do well had brought to life.

"I guess you don't care for art huh?" CF asked.

"Okay punk, playtime's over," Jake said, grabbing CF by his coat collar, "who are you, and why are you trying to steal the amulet?"

"First you answer my question" CF said, "how much mana is required to play your special abilities?"

"Huh?" Jake seemed genuinely confused; he didn't get a chance to expand further, as the airborne Fu crashed into him. CF was loosened from his grip and took off down the hallway.

"What was that about?" he asked Ottoman, as they ran for the door.

"Some stupid dog was gnawing on my leg" she said, "Herring took care of him."

"And I'm gonna make sure dragon boy don't follow us" Slipstream added.

Using his wind powers, he lifted up a display case filled with 17th century pottery. Over in another part of the museum, Jake had just recovered.

"Ooh, I feel like I just took a ride in the washing machine" Fu said, "that's the last time I get involved in the action."

"Come on Fu, we gotta stop those crooks" Jake said.

"Guess again dragon boy" Slipstream's voice rang out "I got a special delivery for ya!"

Jake looked up and saw the display case heading right towards his head. "Aww man!"

CRASH!

Ouch! Jake's going to have quite a headache after that. But not as bad as what's going to happen when Hannibal discovers the amulet in his possession is a fake. And now that Jake knows someone's trying to steal the amulet, what will he do? Find out in the next chapter.


	4. The Enemy at the door

And so it was that Goth-type rock star Ember McLane announced that her next concert would take place in the Big Apple.

"Ember McLane?" Spud asked, confused by a poster, "who's she?"

"Beats me, but she looks like some kinda crazy heavy metal rocker" Trixie said, "and you all know how I feel about heavy metal."

"And you guys said these posters were all over the place?" Jake asked. "Yeah, there were like, dozens of them" Spud answered "it was like 'night of the living paper' or something."

"Lemme see that kid" Fu said, yanking the poster from Jake's hand "hmm, this girl seems familiar for some reason. Time to consult my magical database."

Quickly he ducked behind the counter and returned with a photo album. "Lesse, I know I have her in here someplace" Fu said, thumbing through the book "ogre, troll, brownies…ahh here we go."

He pushed the article in Jake's face "check this out" he said, "seems here that little miss rocker punk was involved in some controversy in a little city called Amity Park. Not much is known about the details, but she gained a sudden surge of popularity, really quickly."

"And you think she used magic?" Jake asked.

"Bingo, give this kid a bone" Fu replied.

"So if she's all, magical and junk, how we gonna stop her?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah, she could just hypnotize us into being her slaves" Spud said.

"Well she's not gonna get that chance" Jake said, "come on guys, we've got a concert to stop."

Several minutes later, Jake and his crew arrived at the large stage in the middle of the city.

"We're too late" Jake commented "it looks like she's getting ready to tune up."

"Then we'll just have ta stop that" Trixie replied "c'mon Spud, let's make sure little Miss pasty face over there don't cause any trouble."

"I got ya Trix" Spud replied, "um actually, I don't, what are you talking about?"

"Just c'mon, boy!" Trixie said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him through the crowd. The two teens made sure they weren't noticed, then snuck backstage.

"Okay, we need ta find like a power cord, or something" Trixie explained.

"A power cord? That could take forever to find!" Spud exclaimed, "we don't have that kind of time!"

"Will you calm down!" Trixie said, "and keep yer voice down, ya want somebody ta hear us?"

"No ma'am" Spud said, solemnly, hanging his head.

"Then shut yer yap and help me find the cord" Trixie replied.

Back outside, Jake was getting restless. "We can't wait for Trixie & Spud" he told Fu, "I'm gonna have to take this sinister singer down before she enslaves the town."

"Yeah, and whadda you think the people will think when they see a red dragon flying overhead, eh?"

"If I'm lucky, that I'm just a prop in the show. Dragon up!"

Jake took to the skies over the stage, hoping to spy Ember, or anything that looked suspicious. "No sign of her" he said, "where is she?"

Ember was in fact backstage, confronting Jake's two lackeys. "And what exactly were you two doing backstage?" she asked, "and don't say you were given backstage passes, cause I don't give those out to anybody!"

"Um…we're with the road crew" Spud suggested.

"My only road crew is this doofus" Ember explained, gesturing to Motor Ed, "I think you were sent here to stop my concert. But nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to stop me from enslaving the Big Apple!"

"Guess again!" came Jake's voice.

Ember barely had time to react, as the massive dragon slammed into her. Ed tried to help, but was swatted away by Jake's tail.

"Nobody touches me!" Ember exclaimed, guitar in hand "let's see how you like my new 'hit' single!"

A fist of green energy came out of the instrument, knocking Jake for a loop. Ember jumped forward and tried to hit him with the weapon, but he avoided it.

"Whoops, too slow" he taunted, "ooh, missed me again. You're not too good at this, are you?"

Ember growled and blasted him with a pink beam of ectoplasm, then stood over him with the guitar. "Guess what dipstick? You're going out like disco."

"Yo, freaky crazy lady!" Trixie exclaimed, "ya better check out what we're doing."

"Yeah, we're severely putting a cramp in your plans" Spud replied.

Ember peered over and saw them messing around with the amplifiers.

"Keep away from those!" Ember shouted, blasting the teens. The distraction was enough for Jake to recover and knock Ember with his tail. Her guitar flew up in the air, and before she could make a grab for it, Jake used his fire breath to destroy it.

"Nooooo!"

"Looks like you ain't gonna be doing much singing without that thing" Jake replied.

Ember was seething mad; she was going to destroy the dragon…_Hold on Ember, stick to the plan _she thought to herself, _you'll get your revenge soon enough._

"You win…for now" Ember said, turning invisible and ghosting through the floor.

"Man, that was easy" Jake said.

"Yeah, but ya let her escape" Fu replied, "and she did kinda swear revenge on ya and everything."

"No problem Fu" Jake said, "I whooped her butt once, I can do it again. Come on, we gotta get back to the shop and guard that amulet."

Fu, Trixie, & Spud got on Jake's back, and he flew off, unaware he was being watched.

"I have to hand it to bean boy, his plan actually worked" Ember commented, as she and Weather Vane watched from afar.

WV nodded her approval "that stupid dragon actually thought he beat you."

"Yeah, well he's for a big surprise next time" Ember said, "right now, we follow them, then call the boss."

Down in his secret lair, Hannibal Bean waited for the call from his minions that would secure his future. The phone rang, and he picked it up, "hello? You've found the amulet's location? Excellent, I'll be right there" and he hung up the receiver.

"Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, the Amulet of Amon has been found. It is in a small electronics store on Canal Street. And we are going to retrieve it. All except for Control Freak and the Herring, that is. I want those two to take our 'honored guests' and give them a nice swim in the Hudson River."

"You can't do that!" Kara exclaimed.

"On the contrary, my dear" Hannibal replied, "since I'm your captor, I can do whatever I want. Now then, the rest of you prepare yerselves for battle. Because very soon, victory will be ours!"

The villains let out a cheer of excitement, knowing they would soon be achieving the victory they had been promised.

Back at the electronics store, Jake and his pals had no idea what was coming. "Hey Fu, can I hold the amulet?" Spud asked, "it's all neat and shiny."

"We're you not paying attention when I said it was full of dangerous magical power?" Fu asked.

"I was, but its' not like I'm gonna use it to enslave the world or anything" Spud replied, "or am I? Hmm, Spud, master of the world, I like the sound of that."

"Man Spud, will you get off yo' crazy dreams and leave that thing alone" Trixie replied.

"You never let me enslave the world!" Spud shouted.

"What?" a confused Jake asked.

"I mean, um…carry on" Spud replied.

Meanwhile, outside, the Bean Brigade members had gathered, and were ready for attack. "No sign of any type of magical shield" Hannibal mused, "that fool Lao Shi is getting forgetful in his old age. Okay gang, get in there, and get me that amulet. And feel free to destroy anybody that stands in yer way."

Slipstream blasted down the door with a powerful tornado, which did not go unnoticed by Jake.

"Yo, the store's under attack!" he exclaimed.

"Ah jeez, gramps, is gonna have a fit when he sees what happened to the door" Fu exclaimed.

"Howdy y'all" came the Southern voice. Jake and his pals saw a black suit of armor covered with red markings.

"I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd stop by fer an amulet."

"Oh man, Hannibal Bean!" Fu exclaimed, "I thought you were gone forever."

"You thought wrong" Hannibal replied.

"Time out, Fu, you know this guy?" Jake asked.

"That's Hannibal Roy Bean" Fu exclaimed, "a long time ago, he was maybe the most evil threat to the world. I only met him once, when your gramps fought him. A titanic struggle it was too. Anyhoo, gramps defeated bean breath and he swore revenge upon him. He never achieved it though, as one of his associates turned on him and threw him into the Yin-Yang world. Last I heard, he was still in there."

"I was, until a group of foolish monks accidentally released me" Hannibal replied, "but enough with the history lesson. Hand over the amulet!"

"Yo, you want the amulet, you'll have to go through me" Jake replied.

"I was hoping you'd say that" Hannibal replied, "get him fellas!"

Will Jake be able to defeat Hannibal Bean and his gang of villains? And what fate awaits the Oracle Twins? Find out the answers to these questions in the exciting (and occasionally humorous) conclusion.


	5. The not so thrilling conclusion!

"Dragon up!" Jake transformed into his alter ego and went to work. He slammed into Slipstream with his tail, then headbutted Motor Ed.

"One thing still puzzles me" Fu said, "how'd Hannibal find this place anyway?"

"A couple pals of mine spied on ya" Hannibal replied, "your dragon friend might remember Ember McLane. I tried asking those Oracle Twins, but they wouldn't tell me anything I wanted to know. So I sent 'em to be thrown into the Hudson river."

"What?" Jake exclaimed, only to be caught off guard by a blast from Ember and knocked behind the main desk.

"Now whatta we do Jakey?" Trixie asked.

"You guys get down to the Hudson river and save the Oracles" Jake answered, "I'll cover you."

"But how are we gonna handle those freaky crook dudes?" Trixie asked.

"Take Fu with you" Jake explained, "I'll hold these guys off as long as I can."

Ember tried to blast Jake again, but he avoided it, then knocked her into several of the other villains.

"Go!" Jake exclaimed.

Trixie and Spud didn't hesitate and ran for the door, with Fu in tow.

"You dudes aren't going anywhere, seriously!" Motor Ed replied, blocking their path. But Jake tackled him , and his friends fled.

"Forget them" Hannibal said, "find the amulet!"

The Ottoman and Gearhead began looking for the amulet, while the other Bean Brigade members held off Jake. And with the powers of wind, music blasts, and earthquakes, that was wasn't hard to do.

"You've lost boy" Hannibal said, chuckling, "you're a disgrace to the name of dragons. Your grandfather didn't take that long to defeat me."

"Nor will I take that long again, Hannibal Bean" came the familiar voice.

Hannibal looked in the doorway and saw Lao Shi, a shopping bag in hand. "I step out for a moment to buy groceries and this is what happens?" he asked.

"So, Lao Shi, we meet again" Hannibal said, "I believe we have some business to finish."

"Indeed" Lao Shi said, "I have to take care of you."

"You've got to be kidding me" Hannibal said, "you're old, you barely defeated me when you were in your prime."

"Maybe so" Lao Shi replied, "but that doesn't mean I can't try."

With that, he transformed into his dragon form and made a beeline for his old foe.

Meanwhile, Fu and the kids had taken a magical taxi to get down to the Hudson river. They crouched behind some old crates, as they watched Control Freak and the Herring tie large concrete weights around the girls' ankles.

"Any last words?" Control Freak asked, pulling down Sara's gag.

"You're going to get hit in the stomach," she said.

"Oh really?" CF asked, "and who, may I ask, is going to do that?"

"I am!" CF barely had time to react before Trixie came into view, burying one of her fists into his portly chest. He went down like a sack of potatoes.

"What the?" Herring asked, before Spud jumped on him.

"Ew, he's all slimy, like a fish" Spud commented.

"That's cause my suit is coated with jelly to keep people like you off of me" Herring said, shaking to and fro to remove Spud.

"Aaaah! Trix, do something!" Spud yelled, his group loosening.

"Okay fish man, drop the idiot" Trixie announced, "or you gonna get a face full of my kung-fu."

"You do realize I have guns in my eye sockets, right?" Herring asked.

"I kinda forgot about that" Trixie replied, "uh, forget all that stuff I was saying about kung-fu and everything."

Before Herring could do anything else, Spud slipped off him and tripped him up.

"You're fish food dude!" Spud said, "actually, that doesn't sound right."

"Let's just get out of here!" Trixie exclaimed. She grabbed the two Oracles and they fled to the nearby taxi.

"Man, the boss is not going to be happy about this" Herring said, "but I'm not telling him."

Back at Canal Street, Lao Shi & Hannibal were engaged in battle. The elderly dragon matched his younger adversary move for move, plus his tail allowed him to get in some extra strikes.

"You haven't lost a step since the last time we fought" Hannibal commented, "but that still doesn't mean ya can defeat me. And without yer little grandson ta help you, I shall be victorious!"

"You always did claim victory before you won" Lao replied, blocking another strike.

Elsewhere, Jake was still pinned against the wall by the combined assault of Slipstream & Temblor.

"Not so tough now, are you dragon?" Temblor asked.

Jake looked around, hoping to find something that would allow him to escape his predicament. Glancing upward, he saw a shelf of TV's; slamming his tail against the wall as hard as he could, he knocked the sets down, sending them on the heads of his oppressors.

"Don't you guys know that two much TV can rot your brains?" Jake asked, knocking over the disoriented villains.

Unfortunately, he didn't see the guitar blast by Ember, that knocked him into the opposite wall.

Ember floated over to him, "here's my new ballad, dragon boy" she said "and this one's a killer!"

Jake moved out of the way and avoided the blast, knocking Ember off balance with his tail. Another crescendo ushered forth from the guitar shattering the glass of the display cases.

"I'm going to make my new guitar case out of your skin!" she exclaimed.

Jake looked around for something to use, and rolled into the back room where Fu kept his magical items. He dug around in one of the boxes until he found what he was looking for.

"Where are you dragon?" Ember asked, craning her head around.

"Right here!" Jake shouted.

Ember didn't even have time to react before she was blasted with whatever Jake had.

"I knew that paralyzing stone Fu had would come in handy" he said, before rushing off to help his grandfather.

Elsewhere, Hannibal had gotten the upper hand on his opponent and was about to deliver a blow with claws on his left hand.

"I've looked forward to this for a long time, Lao Shi" he said.

"Well you're going to have to wait a little longer chump!" Jake said, knocking Hannibal aside with his tail.

Hannibal was slightly dazed, but he quickly got to his feet, only to find himself battling two dragons.

"Can you beat two of us pal?" Jake asked.

"Doesn't matter if there's two or a million of you" Hannibal replied, "I'll destroy ya all!"

He ran forward to engage the dragons and kept pace with them both.

"Man, this dude's good" Jake commented, "he's blocking all our moves!"

"That's cause I know every move ya stupid dragons can make" Hannibal replied.

"That's what you think" Jake said, rearing up on his tail.

Hannibal readied himself to block a kick, only for Jake to surprise him by sweeping with his tail, then grabbing him and lifting off the ground.

"Miserable dragon" Hannibal shouted, "I'll destroy you all!"

"Maybe, but you're not gonna be doing any destroying today" Jake replied, "now take your pals and get out!"

Using all of his lower body strength, Jake hurled Hannibal out the door, just as Fu and the others had pulled up to the door.

"Whoa, watch what you're doing there Jake" Fu said, "ya coulda hit me."

Hannibal tried to get up from the ground, only to see that Jake & Lao Shi were ready to fight.

"You win this time" Hannibal said, "but you haven't seen the last of Hannibal Roy Bean! Retreat!" he ordered, as the members of the Bean Brigade scattered into the night.

"Should we go after them?" Jake asked.

"No young dragon" Lao Shi replied, "something tells me their humiliation here is punishment enough. Despite his threats, I doubt Hannibal Bean will be causing us any more trouble."

A few hours later, Jake and his friends were cleaning up the mess caused by the attack on the store.

"Will ya look at all this huh" Fu said "perfectly good TV sets gone to waste."

"What're you complaining about?" Jake asked, "you didn't have to fight these guys off."

"Yeah, well I still had to deal with a dude dressed as a fish" Fu said, "and that was no easy task, let me tell ya."

"Yeah it was" Spud said.

"Could ya knock it off, huh kid?" Fu asked "jeez, I'm trying to tell a friggin story here."

"Whatever happened to that crazy death amulet thing anyway?" Trixie asked.

"Well, when Hannibal and his men attacked the shop, I had Fu Dog stow it away in his wrinkles" Lao Shi explained.

"Yeah, the best thing about being a pug is that you have lots of room for things" Fu explained, "although ya should probably wash yer fur before you put anything in it. Just a word of advice, trust me."

"The point is, the Amulet has been saved and will soon be delivered to a safe house" Lao Shi replied, "and I'm proud of you young dragon. You held your own against impossible odds and outsmarted one of the most diabolical villains of all."

"Yo, it was nothing gramps" Jake replied "that dude didn't know what he was getting into when he messed with the Am Drag."

"Yes, well don't get cocky" Lao Shi replied, "there will be many more challenges coming your way, and they will be far more difficult."

"Aww man!" Jake exclaimed.

Back at the Bean Brigade's secret headquarters… "the American dragon may have won this day" Hannibal ranted "but when we meet again, and we will meet again, he will be very sorry."

"We're really sorry you didn't defeat that dragon boss" Control Freak said "I wish I had been there, maybe I could made a difference."

"Don't concern yerself with the past, boy" Hannibal said "instead, we need ta start looking towards the future. The Bean Brigade is still strong, and that means big trouble for everybody on the Earth." Then Hannibal broke into his nefarious laugh.

Next Time:

Tired of constant defeats at the hands of the Teen Titans, Control Freak persuades members of the team to help him defeat them. However, Hannibal has an ulterior motive; he wants to use Titans member Raven to resurrect her evil father, the powerful being known as Trigon. Can the Titans save their teammate and the world? Find out in the next adventure of the Bean Brigade.


End file.
